Machine for labeling webs



y 9, 1939- J. MENSCHNER 2,157,556

MACHINE FOR LABELING'WEBS Filed Nov. 10, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lag-.1. 1 ZZZ INVENTOR Wm WM BYML M ATTORNEYS y 1939i .1. MENSCHNER 2,157,556

MACHINE FOR LABELING WEBS Filed Nov. 10, 193'? 2 sheets-sheet 2 7 Wr-W I flirngys Patented May 9, 1939 A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- MACHINE FOR LABELING WEBS Johannes Menschner, Bosswein, Germany Application November 10, 1937, Serial No. 173,776 In Germany October 16, 1936 10 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of periodically attaching perforated or printed gummed paper labels along a running web to identify its length or to make it more easy to sever portions of desired lengths from the whole. According to one of the known procedures for doing this a paper strip is printed with the desired markings at regular intervals, gummed on its back and rolled. There upon this roll is placed within a rotating as the web wherein a tool effects the moistening of the paper, then a separating of the portion which is to be afiixed on the cloth at any one point, and then the aflixing of the label.

A disadvantage of this procedure is that not only the part to be cut off but also an area surrounding or adjacent to such part is moistened,

because the moistening occurs before the cutting.

This results in the paper strip becoming sticky, in the ailixed mark showing an irregular outline and also in the knife or punch soon becoming so soiled and sticky that it no longer functions.

Furthermore, where a single element serves to both separate and place the labels,- it is very U diificult to adjust it with the degree of accuracy required by these two steps.

An object of the present invention is to provide a machine avoiding the above disadvantages by employing different elements to cut, to gum, and to affix the labels, and to have these tools operate in the order just named.

This machine is adapted to use both labels which are cut off at sections of a strip and labels which are stamped out from a broader strip.

Moreover, the machine can be adapted to print the labels immediately before they are affixed if it is desired to do this instead of using labels which are-already printed.

An embodiment of my invention will be hereafter described with reference to the accompany ing drawings in which:

Fig. 1 represents a vertical section through th axis of the marking drum.

- Fig. 2 represents a section of the marking drum 7 taken along the line II1I of Fig. l'looking in the direction of the arrows.

: Fig. 3 represents'a section of the marking drum taken along the line IlIIII of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figs. 4A to 4E inclusive representpartial sections on an enlarged scale through the marking drum taken along the line III-III of Fig. 1. Taken in connection with Fig. 3, they therefore show the mouth portion of the marking drum in six different positions as it rotates about its axis.

drum running at the same circumferential speed Fig. 5 represents a partial vertical section through the axis of a modified form of marking drum.

The marking drum consists of a cylindrical protective casing I attached at one end to the spoked support wheel 2 which has at its center a hub 3 rotatably mounted on an axle 5 fixed horizontally in support 4. At the end of hub 3 which is away from support 4- it enlarges into a supporting disc l6 which extends to, and helps in positioning, the cylinderical protective casing I. A second supporting disc 6 is held by the cylindrical protective casing l at a distance from supporting disc l6. 1 denotes a roller over which the web 11. moves in the direction of the arrows shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4E. The relation of the web to the marking drum is that shown in Fig. 1, and the marking drum is caused to rotate at a surface speed approximately equal to that of the web through the engagement of gear wheel 8, which is mounted on spoked support wheel 2, with suitable gearing not shown.

Connected to the end of stationary axle 5 which protrudes into the casing is a gear wheel 9 which meshes with the gear wheels I0, H, and. I2, supported respectively by being fixed to shafts l3, l4, and 15, which are rotatably supported by supporting discs 6 and I6. Since it is through the operation of these gears that the machine works, I have shown them of equal size with gear wheel 9, so that during one complete rotation of the marking drum, each of these three gears will exactly complete one functional cycle. If it is desiredto have longer distances between the labels on the web, the ratio of gear wheel 9 to gears in, ii, and i2, can be so selected that a label will be affixed at only every two or more revolutions of the marking drum.

In Fig. 1, El represents a roll of paper, printed on its inside surface at regular intervals, and gummed on its outside surface. The paper leads from this roll through the mouth portion of the machine, between drawing-off rollers I9 and 20 and through to the space between supporting disc I6 and spoked support wheel 2, where it is stored and from which it can from time to time be removed through the openings 25 between the spokes of wheel 2.

Within the marking drum and supported by guide 41 which is connected to second support- '50 ing disc 6 lies what I have termed the mouth portion of my machine, which'cooperates with an opening in the protective casing I. This mouth portion may be further described as consisting of a die 22 having as a part of itsouter 55 mouth a rim 38 which partially closes said outer mouth, a slidable cutting punch 2|, and a slidable plunger 23 which is guided in the punch 21. Between the die 22 and the punch 2| there is provided a slot through which the paper strip l8, after it is drawn off of roll I7, is guided. From the paper strip thus guided through the mouth portion the labels m are cut out as follows:

In Fig. 4A the punch 2|, the die 22, and the plunger 23 are in retracted positions. Punch 2| and plunger 23 have slid into guide 41 and have cleared the way for the advancement of the paper In Fig. 4B the same portion of the machine isshown in a more advanced position. The punch, die, and plunger remain in the same position but the paper strip l8 has, in a. manner still to be described, been advanced a predetermined distance corresponding to the distance between its printed portions, so that the printed portion is exactly opposite the punch 2|.

Fig. shows the same portion of the machine after it has rotated still further and it will be seen that the new label m has been punched out of the paper strip "3 by the advance of punch 2| and plunger 23 relative to die 22.

Fig. 4D represents the same part of the machine in a still further rotated position showing that punch 2| has remained in the same position relative to the casing I while die 22 has moved radially outward with respect to the casing I so that it protrudes a small distance beyond said casing. Moreover, plunger 23 has advanced with respect to punch 2| and, with its head 39, it has advanced the label m until the perimeter of the label is resiliently pressed against the rim 38 which is a. part of the outer mouth of die 22 and which partiallycloses the same, thus effectually closing and protecting the bore of the die and presenting the gummed side of label m to the moistening roller 51 which,

together with the rest of the moistening device 58, is located as shown in Fig. 4D. Thus the gummed surface of the label will be moistened by the roller.

Fig. 412! shows the same portion of my machine after it has rotated still further and is ready to contact the web 11.. Up to this time the label has been securely held in the bore of the die 22. In this position it is being pressed against the web, and die 22 begins a retractive movement while plunger 23 remains stationary, thus positively freeing the label from the bore of the die and securely aflixing it to the web.

In Figs. 1 and 3 the same portion of my machine ls shown'after it has'rotated a slight distance beyond the position shown in Fig. 4E, a position which I have identified as position F which is where the die is retracted while the plunger is advanced, completing the labeling operation.

Between position F as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and the position shown in Fig.14A the plunger, after -leaving the label securely on the web, and the punch 2| are retracted to the position previously described.

The movements required for the above described motions of the punch, the die. and the plunger are derived from shafts 3, l4, and 5 respectively which are rotated by gears I, II, and I! through the action of cams 40, 4|, and 42 which are secured respectively to said shafts.

Cam 40 actuates through a roller the lever modification.

other end by means of a driving pin 45 to a slot controlling the motion of punch 2| as it slides within the guide 41. Spring 46 serves to keep lever 44 constantly in contact with cam 40.

Die 22, which is slidable along guides 41, 48, and 43 is similarly governed by the action of cam 4| by means of the stud 52 which is pressed against said cam by means of springs and 5|. Said stud is unitary with die 22 and the cam is so arranged, as shown in Fig. 3, that the retraction of said die will be sudden.

Cam 42 serves to control the action of plunger 23 through the lever which is pivoted on pivot 54 and carries a roller bearing against said cam and held against said cam by spring 53. A driving pin 55 operatively connects the outer end of said lever with a slot on the inner end of plunger 23.

The axis of drawing-off roller 2|] is carried by lever 26 and is strongly pressed against drawingoff roller |9 bymeans of a strong spring 21. The motion of drawing-off roller I9 is controlled by an attached ratchet wheel 28 which is actuated by pawl 3| which in turn is pivoted on anarm attached to plunger 34 held by guides 32 and 33 and bearing a roller 36 which imparts a reciprocation to said plunger through the cooperation of said roller with cam 31 driven by shaft I5. It will be noted that said cam and said roller are held together by spring 35. By this means the drawing-off rollers are intermittently advanced by a distance which is carefully predetermined with respect to the amount of motion necessary to bring the next printed materialdirectly in place in the die, each time the machine rotates. In connection with the pawl and ratchet mechanism just described for advancing the strip, I provide at the other end of roller IS a ratchet wheel 29 cooperating with a stationary pawl 30 to prevent any rotation of roller I9 in an unwanted direction;

It will thus be seen that in operation, as the web passes over roller 1 the marking drum rotates at approximately the same speed as the web and as it turns the slidable cutting punch moves towards the periphery, cutting out a label which is thereupon pushed in a peripheral direction until it is only held by the contact between the plunger and the rim 38 of the outer mouth of die 22, whereupon it passes a moistening device and proceeds to contact the web,

whereupon the die 22 is withdrawn, leaving only.

a plunger to press the label against the cloth. Thereupon the punch and plunger are withdrawn, the strip material from which the labels are cut is moved ahead by a distance equal to one label, and the machine is readyto repeat this cycle of motions.

Various changes may be made in the structure of this device without departing from my invention. For instance, it is possible to construct the drawing-off rollers l9 and 20, which serve in Fig. 1 as pulling rollers for the paper strip, as pushing rollers. In Fig. 5 I have shown this It will readily be seen that the operation of the machine is the same except that the paper strip is gripped between the roll of paper and the punch instead of being gripped after it leaves the punch. This construction might be preferable where severed portions of the strip itself are applied as labels.

It will be understood that various changes may ment, and material of the several parts without amuse departing from the spirit and scope of my invcntion, and hence I do not wish to be limited to the particular embodiment herein shown and described except as they may be included in the claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a web labeling machine of the character described, means adapted to sever a label from a supply of severable labels, means adapted to moisten the label so severed, and means adapted to press the label so severed and moistened against the running web.

2. In a web labeling machine of the character described, means adapted to sever a label from a supply of severable labels, means adapted to moisten the label so severed, means adapted to move the label so severed and moistened at a speed substantially equal to the speed of the running web and in substantially the same direction, and means adapted to press the label so severed and moistened against the running web.

3. In a web labeling machine of the character described, a rotatable. drum, a punch and die therein adapted to sever a label from a supply of severable labels, means adapted to moisten the label so severed, and means adapted to press the label so severed and moistened against the running web.

4. In a web labeling machine of the character described, a rotatable drum, a punch and die therein adapted to sever a label from a supply of severable labels, moistening means proximate to said drum, a plunger adapted to present the severed label to said moistening means and to press the label so severed and moistened against the running web.

5. In a web labeling machine of the character described, a rotatable drum, a punch and die therein adapted to sever a label from a supply of severable labels and to reciprocate in a radial direction with respect-to said drum, molstenlng means proximate to said drum, a plunger adapted to present the severed label to said moistening,

means and to press ,the label so severed and moistened against the running web, and a rim adapted to cooperate with said plunger to retain the moistened and unaffixed label.

6. In a web labeling machine of the character described, a rotatable drum, a punch and die therein adapted to sever-a label from a supply of severable labels and to reciprocate in a radial direction with respect to said drum, moistening means proximate to said drum, a plunger smaller in area than a label adapted to present the severed label to said moistening means at a greater distance from the axis of said drum than the point at which the label is severed from its supply, and adapted to press the label so severed and moistened against the running web, and a rim adapted to cooperate with said plunger to retain the moistened and unafiixed label.

7. A machine as characterized in claim 1 including a stepbystep label supply advancing mechanism and intermittent operating means therefor.

8. A machine as characterized in claim 1 including a step-by-step label supply advancing mechanism and intermittent operating means therefor, said advancing mechanism being located on the side of said severing means opposite the supply of labels.

9. A machine as characterized in claim 1 including a step-by-step label supply advancing mechanism and intermittent operating means therefor, said advancing mechanism being located between the supply of labels and said severing means.

10. A machine as characterized in claim 5 wherein the rim has an aperture therethrough. said aperture being smaller in cross section than a severed label.

- JOHANNES MENSCHNER. 

